By the time you read this blog you, or your student, will have been in school for at least a month.  Did the year get off to a great start?  Whether you or your student is in elementary or secondary schools, effective listening skills are important. This week we will give you some basic listening skills. Students can take steps to become effective listeners starting with outside the classroom.  A few tips include: 

• Go over the main points covered in the last class.
• Review notes and think about what was covered in class by either rewriting, underlining or highlighting important ideas and vocabulary.
• Review the assignment for that day prior to class. 

During class students can relate what they have already learned to what is being taught.  Students should ask themselves:

• Does the homework relate to the subject being taught during this class?
• Did the reading provide more information about the subject?

Other tips for students:

• Concentrate on the subject being taught.
• Don’t daydream!
• Take notes on the main points.
• Listen carefully to what the teacher says about an assignment and write it down in a notebook right away.
• Listen to key phrases from the teacher:  “This is important because…”, “It is essential that you know this…”, and “You will need to know this for the test…”

So remember, students should pay attention and relate what is being said with what they already know.

Good Luck!